Kitchens used to be the central room of any home because they were usually the locations of the only heat source in the home. They temporarily gave ground to the TV rooms, but they are quickly reclaiming the central space of modern homes. Your kitchen layout tells you lots of information about your cooking personality. Some kitchens express how busy the family is and are often used as storage of quick-fix frozen dinners or as the final resting place for hamburger wrappers and to-go bags. Other kitchens feel like the most worked-in rooms in your home, doubling as the office, the loading and unloading zone for the home's residents, and sometimes the gathering place for guests.
Whatever the use, a good kitchen needs to be convenient for you and your family's uses. Since it is your kitchen - and nobody else's - there are no rules for how it must be laid out. But here are some simple suggestions in setting up your kitchen for easy meal preparation. A good layout will encourage healthy meals to be prepared in your own kitchen.
Group your dishware and flatware closest to the dishwasher and sinks for easy unloading. Teach your children how to unload the safer items.
Gather your cooking tools according to the frequency of use and ease of storage. If you use a pastry blender less often than your can opener, then put the other tool in a lower drawer. Stack your pots and pans by size and by frequency of use. If you use larger pot almost daily, then consider reserving its own space so you don't have to dig it out every afternoon. Additionally, the pan that you use for turkey twice annually can be scooted to the back of the cupboard or be used to store smaller pots or lids.
Place your knives in a separate drawer or purchase a knife block -- stored away from little curious hands -- to keep sharp items away from unsuspecting fingers and inexperienced hands.
Arrange your food cupboards by the type of ingredients you use the most and by recipe. Place your indulgent foods like chips and chocolates further back, and make sure healthier snack items are easily accessed.
When you come home from the grocery store, lay out your fresh produce, washing and drying food before you put it in the refrigerator. Foods that you will use soon can be cut up and will be ready for easy cooking. Ingredients that won't be used until later in the week can be stored whole. Date the foods you buy so that you know how long it will keep. Only buy what you need - and perhaps one or two reserve meals for emergency - and buy when things are on sale if the items are not perishable.
Grocery stores deliberately place the 'yummy' indulgent foods on the end caps -- the aisle ends-- so shop with a list and go after you've had a light snack so you're not inclined to add something to the cart that simply looks good. Don't forget how much space you have in the refrigerator and cupboards before you buy the bulk food!
Now your kitchen fits your needs!
